Manny Robles: “I Can’t Want It More Than Him!”
On December 7, Andy “Destroyer: Ruiz Jr (33-2, 22 KO’s) staged the first defense of his trio of titles in Saudi Arabia. After twelve full rounds of huffing, puffing and following his opponent around the ring, there was not much of anything positive that could be said of Ruiz’s performance.
When it was all said and done, former champion Anthony “AJ” Joshua (23-1, 21 KO’s) won all his belts back by way of unanimous decision.
SHAMELESS JELLY-BELLY
By all accounts, Ruiz should be utterly ashamed of himself. In easily the biggest fight of his life, the first Mexican heavyweight in history entered the ring in abysmal shape, and performed in such fashion.
Weighing near 300lbs, the Destroyer sloshed around the ring incapable of closing the distance with his feet. The portly pugilist did occasionally land meaningful shots, but was unable to sustain any sort of rally.
During the post-fight interview, Ruiz boldly admits that he did not take his camp or training as seriously as he should. The ill-advised admission left a sour taste in the mouth for many boxing enthusiasts.
The Destroyer also committed to public record that he did not listen to his chief second Manny Robles. Instead, Ruiz had attempted to largely train himself for the fight.
FIGHTER GONE ROGUE
“I don’t think I lost the connection to my fighter, I just think it’s more him. I think it’s more the individual.
“The individual has to be disciplined. You have to be hungry. You know, I can’t want it more than him, he’s got to want it.”
Naturally, the weight and lack of communication were bad omens for Robles throughout camp. Therefore, he was not pleased or surprised by what he saw in the ring. He knew that Joshua was a big, strong and very imposing fighter.
Robles also understand that, to win, Ruiz would have to arrive to the ring in tip-top shape. Ruiz did not.
Ahead of this big time prizefight, one of the biggest questions was, how will Joshua respond to the adversity? Now that all the dust has settled, the answer is “very well.”
AJ was able to devise a game plan and stick to it for twelve straight rounds. In the process of doing that, Joshua displayed a great jab, slick footwork and revitalized endurance. None of these characteristics were lost on Robles.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a heavyweight move the way that he did. The stick and move and to have that foot work, it’s just you don’t find heavyweights moving like he did.
“It’s very rare to have a heavyweight move in the fashion that he did, so nothing but respect for Anthony Joshua and his team because they did what they had to do.
“They fought a great fight.”
It will be interesting to see where Team Ruiz goes from here. Congratulations are in order for Joshua and his team.
By: Bakari Simpson
